Are you in good enough shape to be an FBI agent? We took the test.
Like most everyone we've known on the cops beat, we sometimes find ourselves wondering what it's like on the other side of the badge and whether we have what it takes to fight crime as well as we write about it.
We had the chance to find out Thursday when the FBI ran media members through its Physical Fitness Test to see how we stacked up against prospective agents.
The offer was part of the bureau's campaign to spread the word about efforts to hire 900 special agents to diversify its workforce, bring new skills to the agency and replace agents hanging up their guns and badges.
“Anywhere we go, we're looking for the best,” said recruiting coordinator and Special Agent Siobhan Johnson.
<h3 class="leadin">What it takes
Of course, it requires much more than being in shape to make it as an FBI agent. But to meet the bureau's fitness standards, a candidate must post a satisfactory result in four physical tests: number of situps in 60 seconds; a 300-meter sprint; maximum consecutive push-ups; and a 1½-mile run.
To add to the difficulty, candidates move from one event to the next with just 5 minutes of rest in between.
“It's definitely a challenging test,” said Special Agent Matt Osegard, a fitness adviser for the FBI.
So how'd it go for your Cops and Crime columnist? Agents who put Charles through the challenge assured him he did well. And yet he managed to leave the tryout without a job offer, so expect him back in this space next week.
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Your turn
If you want to see how you'd fare on the test and learn more about becoming an FBI agent, check out the new FBI Physical Fitness Test mobile app. Available in the Apple App Store and Google Play, the app takes users through the exercises they'd need to master and includes tips and videos on the right way to do them.
While you're at it, check out the FBI's Child ID app, which gives parents a place to digitally store photos and other vital information about children (all of which remains on your phone only, not some FBI database) and the FBI Bank Robbers app, which shares info on heists and the offenders responsible.
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New trial in 2010 slaying
A Lake County man who claims that as a teen he was coerced into a 2010 shooting that killed an innocent bystander deserves a new trial, a state appeals court ruled last week.
In a unanimous decision, the Second District Appellate Court of Illinois ruled that police improperly elicited incriminating statements from then-16-year-old Jamell D. Smith, including by ignoring his mother's request to speak with him during questioning - a right she had because her son was a juvenile at the time.
The appeals court also determined Smith's attorney had a conflict of interest because he previously represented the intended target of the shooting in an unrelated weapons case.
Smith, now 24, has been serving a 40-year prison sentence for his conviction in the Aug. 23, 2010, killing of Amy Williams, a 29-year-old mother of three who was gunned down as she was standing on a balcony at a Waukegan apartment complex. Authorities say Smith and three other men were trying to shoot a neighbor in retaliation for an earlier confrontation that left one of their friends with stab wounds.
According to court documents, Smith was handed a gun and told to shoot. Documents say after someone pushed another gun to his back and told him “do it,” Smith cocked the weapon, closed his eyes and fired three shots. One struck Williams in the chest, killing her.
Smith co-defendants Pierre Dorn, 35, and Stephen Moore, 27, both of Waukegan, each pleaded guilty to murder and were sentenced to 28 and 20 years behind bars, respectively. A third co-defendant, Luis Nazario, 27, of Zion, pleaded guilty to aggravated battery with a firearm and received a 15½-year prison term.
<h3 class="leadin">Crime or social scene?
The west side of Batavia is generally a pretty peaceful place. So the sight Saturday evening of rifle-toting police blocking the streets around an elementary school and the Kane County SWAT team rolling up piqued many residents' curiosity.
As officers searched the area looking for a despondent man with a gun, dozens of people stood watching from a block or so away, enjoying some adult libations, chatting with their neighbors and posting photos on social media - this despite a city text alert urging citizens to avoid the area and stay in their homes.
The circumstances didn't go over well with city leaders, including Alderman Eliot Meitzler, who lives nearby, and Alderman Marty Callahan, a former police officer.
“I thank God we did not have Twitter during World War II. 'Landing on Normandy. #hitlerwerecoming,'” he said.
<h3 class="leadin">Traffic title for Lake Zurich
Congratulations to the Lake Zurich Police Department, which on Wednesday received first-place honors in the 2017 Illinois Traffic Safety Challenge. The challenge provides law enforcement agencies an opportunity to contribute to the state's Strategic Highway Safety Plan and reduce crashes, deaths and injuries across the state.
Focusing on three major traffic safety priorities - occupant protection, speeding and impaired driving - the challenge recognizes police agencies for the approach and effectiveness of their safety programs. It evaluates not only enforcement, but also innovative problem solving, public information efforts and departmental policies.
“We are very proud to be recognized with this award. It is the result of the outstanding work of our traffic and patrol officers,” Chief Steve Husak said in an announcement of the award. “We also share this acknowledgment with the public; those who share our roads and drive cautiously to prevent crashes and injuries.”
<h3 class="leadin">Trading places
The Kane County Emergency Communications Center's loss is the Hampshire Police Department's gain.
Bryce Renninger, recently a telecommunicator for the county's public-safety dispatch center, is now a Hampshire police officer. He was sworn in Aug. 9.
“So we will now be talking to him on the other side of the radio,” Michelle Guthrie, the dispatch center's director, told the Kane County judicial and public safety committee Thursday.
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